Watford sign Charlton defender

Watford have signed former Charlton Athletic academy defender Sheku Kamara.

The Lambeth-born centre half joined the Hornets on trial towards the end of the 05/06 campaign and made three appearances for the reserves and two for the under-18s. The club`s coaching staff was impressed with the 18-year-old`s performances and rewarded him with a professional contract.

"It's a good set up here, everyone has treated me well," Kamara told the official site. "Now that I've settled in, I'll be looking to break into the first team.'

Sheku explained that he was already familiar with some of the playing staff at Watford, even before his arrival: "I knew Joel Grant and a couple of the other guys because I've played against them quite a few times over the years. I first went to Charlton when I was 13 and they then gave me a scholarship."

"Now I've come to WFC to prove myself. My target for the season is to make a few appearances for the first team after establishing myself in the reserves," explained Sheku.

The imposing defender describes himself as having similar attributes to Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand: "Some people say that my style of playing is like Sol Campbell but I prefer to think of myself as more like Rio because he's calm on the ball. My game is quite physical but I've also got enough pace to deal with trouble."

The defender is the third 18-year-old to make the move to Vicarage Road, following in the footsteps of goalkeeper Scott Loach, who signed from Lincoln City and defender Claude Seanla, who signed from Tottenham.